The man charged with creating the NFL's regular-season schedule said the fact that the Steelers' first nationally-televised game this year comes in the first game Ben Roethlisberger will be eligible for is "purely coincidental."

Howard Katz, the NFL's senior VP for media, said on Sirius Mad Dog radio that he did not consider Roethlisberger's suspension when he made the schedule. Roethlisberger was banned for six games by commissioner Roger Goodell. If the length of the suspension holds (the commissioner may consider reducing it to four games), Roethlisberger would first be eligible to play on Oct. 31 in a Sunday night game at the home of the defending champion New Orleans Saints.

"I didn't have the slightest idea what kind of suspension the commissioner was going to hand down when I did this. I make the schedule, I have no input into the suspensions nor did I have any insight into the suspension.

"It was pretty clear to me he was going to wind up getting some kind of a suspension. I really didn't anticipate that it would be that lengthy of a suspension so if it winds up being six games, yes, he comes back on that game. Purely coincidental."

The Steelers-Saints game will also be competing with the MLB World Series, the first time in recent years the NFL has scheduled a night game opposite the World Series. -- Sean Leahy

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About Nate Davis

Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate